


When She's Calling for You

by Heart_Seoul_Soshi



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-17
Updated: 2017-12-17
Packaged: 2019-02-15 19:03:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13037460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heart_Seoul_Soshi/pseuds/Heart_Seoul_Soshi
Summary: An alternate ending to the coronation and the VKs' turn towards good





	When She's Calling for You

**Author's Note:**

> from an anonymous request on tumblr

So there they were.  
  
Their moment of glory.  
  
Their crowning achievement.  
  
Revenge time.  
  
Fairy Godmother’s wand radiated sheer power, Mal could feel it like an electric current as she gripped it in her hands like it was her one and only lifeline.  
  
And in many ways, it was.

There in her hands was her chance,  _all_ their chances, to finally win.  To earn the approval of their parents and to do right by their heritage, as the children of villains who were cast off and rejected, herded onto a decrepit island prison like animals.  It was Mal’s chance, Jay’s.  Carlos’ chance. Evie’s, who watched Mal ever so carefully just like every other pair of eyes in the cathedral.  
  
“You really want to do this?” Prince Ben questioned, disbelief in his tone.  
  
“We have  _no choice_ , Ben!!” Mal practically cried.  "Our parents—"  
  
“Your parents made their choice.  Now you make yours.”  
  
Ben backed down, casting aside the defensive stance he’d taken on standing before Mal and the wand.  A stance of vulnerability was what he carried now, leaving his fate entirely up to Mal.  
  
She still felt the magic coming off the wand in waves, but here, and now, it struck her just how different this magic felt compared to the magic she’d utilized in her short time in Auradon.  This magic was light, strong,  _pure_ , like rays of sun shining down to earth.  
  
Like the way she felt watching Jay and Carlos at their first Tourney game, the way she felt when the winning goal was scored and she watched Jay, trophy in hand, raised up triumphantly by his teammates. Like the way she felt watching Carlos run around with Dude, boy and dog chasing each other happily across a lawn of green.  
  
Or how she felt sitting in her dorm room, being given the royal treatment by Evie as her best friend dolled her up to go out with a spelled Ben. The easy smile on her face when Evie’s fingers slipped under her chin to turn her head to the side with the gentlest of nudges as she worked her own personal brand of magic with a makeup brush.  The sheer ethereal lightness pulsating from the wand was the same kind Mal felt when she sat perfectly still and let Evie dab at her lips, her finger ever so soft with each touch of lipstick.  Evie taking her hand and leading her to the mirror, Evie’s head on her shoulder with the biggest of smiles as she watched Mal’s reflection, and the way Mal just couldn’t stop herself from nuzzling against her with a laugh.   
  
These were the memories she wanted to hang on to.  Suddenly, in that moment, she wanted to hang on to those memories even more than she wanted to break open the barrier that had cursed her all her life and take revenge on the kingdom that doomed her and the villains to that wretched existence on The Isle.  Ben was still there, eyeing Mal carefully and patiently, waiting on a response from her.  
  
“…I think I want to be good,” Mal breathed, her voice so soft and innocent that it startled even her.  
  
“You _are_ good!” Ben assured her.  
  
“How do you know that?!” Mal demanded, tension rising once more.  
  
“Because…because I’m listening to my heart.”  
  
Ben’s words struck a chord within Mal, a chord that replayed all those good memories of Auradon like a beautiful song.  
  
“…I wanna listen to my heart too,” Mal said, a little to herself.    
  
Her hands found themselves slowly lowering Fairy Godmother’s wand, and whether it was of her own will or the magic’s, she really couldn’t tell. She turned to face her friends, unable to stop a smile from lighting up her face as the truth came to her.  
  
“…And my heart is telling me that we are _not_  our parents.”  
  
Jay and Carlos looked bewildered at the thought, but Evie returned Mal’s smile, wearing pride in it as she watched her best friend take a stand and accept the reality she had been fighting so hard to keep at bay.  
  
“Stealing things doesn’t make you happy, Jay,” Mal said to him, trying to get her point across.  "And Carlos, scratching Dude’s belly makes you happy, who would’ve thought?  We’re nothing like our parents.  We’re just  _not_.  They tried so hard to turn us into them, but we don’t want the same things that they do, and we never will…and that’s okay.“  
  
Evie stood there, blinking back tears.  She and Mal met each other’s eyes.  
  
"Evie,” Mal spoke her name like it was the most beautiful sound in the world. “ _You_ , you do not have to play dumb to get a guy, you don’t have to listen to those lies your mother told you.  You are  _so_  smart, and  _so_  beautiful. And anything you want, you will get exactly the way you are, because nothing about you ever has to change.”  
  
The two girls laughed happily together, sniffling.  
  
“…And I don’t want to take over the world with evil.  It doesn’t make me happy,” a tear started to run down Mal’s cheek.  "Do you see? You guys, we aren’t Maleficent, the Evil Queen, Cruella, and Jafar. We’re Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay. We’re so different from our parents, and here, in Auradon, we don’t have to follow in their footsteps.  And the biggest difference? They aren’t…they aren’t capable of things like happiness, or compassion. It’s just the way they are.“  
  
Evie’s warm brown eyes had stayed locked on her the entire time, and Mal felt her gaze like that ray of sunshine that echoed out from the magic wand.  
  
”…That’s how I know for sure I’m nothing like my mother.  My mother isn’t capable of love. I realize that now.  But I want to listen to my heart…and my heart is telling me that I love Evie.“  
  
A chorus of quiet gasps rippled through the entire cathedral, including one from Evie herself.  
  
"Evil, and vengeance, and cruelty don’t make me happy…it’s Evie.  She’s what makes me  _really_  happy.”  
  
She moved the wand to one hand to reach out for Evie.  Evie’s eyes were wide, shocked, swimming with tears, and she hesitated in taking Mal’s hand.  
  
“M…” she said quietly, Mal’s confession still reverberating her in ears.  
  
“Evie,” Mal chuckled, letting her tears run freely.  "You’ve always been there for me, even when I didn’t want you to be. I never understood it before, all the stories with their stupid fairytale endings and the happily ever afters; I didn’t know what love felt like.  But now I do.  It feels like you, standing by my side, catching me when I fall, giving me the courage to take control of my own life…E, I love you. There’s no denying it.“  
  
Mal’s hand was still outstretched, hanging in the air and reaching for Evie.  And for an awful, heart-stopping moment, it felt like Evie wasn’t about to reach back.  
  
But then fingers were lacing through Mal’s, and another set of tearful sniffs joined hers.  
  
”…I love you too, Mal,“ Evie said, her smile the brightest anyone had ever seen it.  
  
She gave Mal’s hand a squeeze and then let go, moving right beside her.  Mal laughed happily, scooting close and laying her head on Evie’s shoulder.  
  
There was a round of "aww"s that floated up from the crowd just then, and Mal’s heart was too light to let her be anything remotely close to embarrassed.  Jay and Carlos looked at the girls with their cute, boyish smirks, and the girls looked back at them.  Mal lifted her head, steadily meeting the gazes of each of her friends, holding Evie’s for just a few seconds longer.  
  
”…I choose good, you guys,“ Mal held out her fist with a beaming grin.  
  
Evie didn’t even hesitate, touching her fist to Mal’s.  
  
"I choose good.  I choose love,” she said proudly.  
  
Jay was next.  
  
“I choose good too,” he nodded, reaching his fist out as well.  
  
Carlos looked dumbstruck.  
  
“…Isn’t anyone worried about how mad our parents are going to be when they find out about this?” he questioned. “Because believe me, they’re gonna be really,  _really_  mad.”  
  
Ben laughed good-naturedly.   
  
“Your parents can’t reach you here,” he assured Carlos.  
  
Carlos’ smile was easy and relieved.  
  
“…Well in that case,” he tapped his fist to those of his friends.  "Good.“  
  
The VKs laughed together, lighthearted and free, and Mal let her head come to rest on Evie’s shoulder again amidst a chorus of claps and cheers from everyone in the cathedral, Ben included.  
  
So there they were.  
  
Their moment of glory.  
  
Their crowning achievement.  
  
And then a vicious crack of thunder shook the building, screams and gasps drowned out the claps and cheers.  Everyone jumped, their eyes drawn up to the high, stone ceilings just in time to see a spiraling plume of green smoke crashing through the stained glass windows and filling the air right in front of the VKs. Everything went dark. Everything went horribly wrong.  
  
"I’m baaaaaack!!” Maleficent called out, revealing herself from the smoke with a flourish.  
  
Mal stood protectively in front of Evie, her heart sinking at the sight of her mom ruining this perfect moment.  
  
“…Go away, mother,” she sighed defeatedly.  
  
Maleficent merely cackled.  
  
“Oh, that’s funny.  You’re funny!  That’s rich,” she laughed with a snort.  "Now give me the wand!“  
  
Mal jumped at the sudden snap in her mother’s voice, gripping the wand tightly with tension.  
  
Then Evie’s hand was on her shoulder, and her touch instantly grounded Mal, made the tension and rising fear just melt away.  Mal wasn’t about to take back anything she had said just because her mother had escaped and stood menacingly before them.  She meant every single word, every single feeling, and she knew that Evie and her friends did too.  Mal chose good.  And now it was time to really prove it.  
  
She threw the wand to Fairy Godmother, who caught it handily, and then everything after that happened so fast.  Their headmistress readied a spell the instant the wand was in her grasp, but Maleficent countered just as quickly, magically freezing everyone but herself and the VKs in place with a flash of green. The act easily amused her, and with more of her cackling laughter she strolled around the frozen forms of the king, queen, prince, and Fairy Godmother, admiring her own handiwork.  
  
"Mal…”  
  
Mal heard Evie whispering her name behind her as they all kept their eyes locked on Maleficent, watching her every move.  Mal’s automatic, reflexive response was to scoot back closer against Evie, her body already deciding that she would be protected.  Maleficent snatched the wand out of Fairy Godmother’s unmoving hand and turned around just in time to see her daughter’s gesture.  
  
“…Oh no,” she groaned, shaking her head and rolling her eyes.  "You and the snooty little birthday girl??  Please, spare me.“  
  
Mal stiffened.  
  
"Mom, she’s my best friend…I love her,” she firmly said.  
  
“Yawn,” Maleficent chided.  "Falling in love is weak, and ridiculous.  It’s not what you want.“  
  
Mal had begun to cry again.  
  
"You don’t know what I want,” she tearfully argued.  
  
Maleficent’s eyes narrowed dangerously.  
  
“Mom, have you ever once asked me what I want??  All these years you’ve just assumed, and made me believe I wanted revenge and evil in my life, but I  _don’t_.  I’m not you.  And I know the truth; love is not weak, or ridiculous,” she looked over her shoulder at Evie, who wore that proud, triumphant smile on her face once more. “…It’s actually really amazing.”  
  
“You think you know the truth?” Maleficent prodded.  "No, young lady, I do.  You have  _no room_ for love in your life!“  
  
This time, Mal didn’t jump.  
  
She eyed the wand, and remembered the pure, wonderful feelings it evoked in her when she held it.  For Maleficent to hold it and not be affected in the same way…now Mal was absolutely sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt.  She was not her mother. She never would be.  And the thought had never made her so happy in her entire life.  
  
”… _And now I command, wand to my hand!_ “  
  
A golden glow of magic spiraled itself around the wand, and Maleficent fought to keep it in her grip.  The act was futile, and with a will of its own the wand flew free from her hand and straight into Mal’s.  
  
"You did it!” Evie gasped.  
  
“I did it…” Mal repeated in awe.  
  
Maleficent’s lip curled in anger.  
  
“This is getting tedious, Mal.  And I’m bored of it.  Give me the wand!!”  
  
“Don’t do it, Mal,” Carlos stepped forward.  "You summoned the wand to your own hand, away from her…good really is more powerful than evil.“  
  
"You think so, huh?” Maleficent chuckled for a moment, and then her features hardened as she looked to each of the four kids standing firmly in front of her.  "…You are all going to regret this!!“  
  
The green smoke was back, enveloping Maleficent and then the VKs, clouding the air and clogging their lungs.  Mal made a blind grab for Evie and Carlos, trying to pull them back towards Jay and free from the smog.  An unearthly roar reverberated through the cathedral, and when the smoke cleared this time it wasn’t just Maleficent; it was Maleficent taking to the air as a giant dragon.  
  
"Uh oh…” Jay mumbled.  
  
“…Run!!”   
  
Mal grabbed Evie’s hand and made a break for it with her friends just as the first deadly spray of fire shot forth.  They all felt the heat right on their heels, just barely escaping it.  They took off down the long length of the building, but with nowhere to go but in a straight line, some small part in the back of each of their minds knew that these were not good odds.  Carlos impulsively made the mistake of looking over his shoulder as he ran, catching sight of the dragon’s gaping maw and sword-like teeth entirely too close for comfort.  His comical scream shouted over the sound of the dragon’s roaring and the thunderous beating of wings.  
  
Mal’s panic at her mother charging was child’s play compared to the panic when she felt Evie yanking her hand free and turning to face the dragon head-on. Genius that she was, she’d used her magic mirror to blind Maleficent, sending the hulking monster crashing to the floor and temporarily stopping her attack.  
  
“Behind me, E!”  
  
Leader that  _she_  was, Mal bravely stormed forward and positioned Evie, Carlos, and Jay behind her.  
  
“Leave my friends alone!” she shouted, getting Maleficent’s attention.  "…This is between you and me, mother.“  
  
Maleficent hissed, bared her fangs, and Mal watched as the orange of the dragon’s eyes melded into poisonous green.  Mal could feel it, her own natural green eyes glowing brightly to match.  She’d announced to everyone she wanted to listen to her heart.  Her heart told her she was not her mother.  Her heart told her she loved the incredible, caring, beautiful best friend she couldn’t imagine life without.  And now, her heart was telling her exactly what she needed to say.  
  
” _The strength of evil is good as none, when stands before four hearts as one,_ “ she commanded power and strength to her voice, power and strength buried deep inside her that the will to protect her friends had unlocked.   
  
Spurred on by her fierceness, the VKs moved in closer, braving their fear of Maleficent to stand together with Mal.  
  
_"The strength of evil is good as none, when stands before four hearts as one.”  
_  
When Evie’s hand closed around hers, holding on tight, sparks ran their way through Mal.  The final push of power she needed.  
  
_“The strength of evil is good as none, when stands before four hearts as one!!”_  
  
Where everything happened so quickly just moments earlier, everything now seemed to happen in slow motion.  Time slowed down, and for what felt like an agonizing eternity Mal and her mother were locked in an unbreakable stare down.  The glow of green met the glow of green for ages, until finally,  _finally_ , Maleficent once again vanished with a defeated roar into a plume of smoke. The VKs gasped, and Mal looked to Evie, who was clearly just as stunned as the rest of them.  Fairy Godmother unfroze from the magic, and with her, time seemed to do so as well.  Moving as one, Mal and her friends hurried forward into the fog, where it magically wisped away as soon as they broke through.  In place of the towering dragon was now a very wee, very confused looking lizard.  Carlos stooped over, peering at it in fascination.  
  
“…Whoa, is that your mom??” he questioned.  
  
“You turned your mom into a little lizard?” Evie asked.  
  
Fairy Godmother came forward to meet them.  
  
“No, children, Maleficent did this to herself,” she gently said.  "She shrank to the size of the love in her heart…that’s why she’s so itty bitty.“  
  
Mal couldn’t believe it.  
  
”…Is she going to be like that forever?“  
  
”…That’s up to her.  You learned to love, Mal. So can she.“  
  
Mal smiled, and handed Fairy Godmother’s wand back to her.  The headmistress returned the smile as only she could, and with her signature "Bibbidi bobbidi boo”, she unfroze the crowd from Maleficent’s magic.  Ben came charging with a roar, a little too late to the party.  
  
“Ben. Ben!!  We handled it, kinda got this all wrapped up here,” Mal stopped him.  
  
Ben looked around, confused.  
  
“…Yeah?”   
  
“Yeah,” Mal said.  
  
Evie put her hand on Mal’s shoulder and turned her around.  
  
“…Leave it to a villain to save the day,” she said, draping her arms around Mal’s neck.  
  
“…Let’s just make sure our days don’t need anymore saving, okay?” Mal laughed.  
  
Evie nodded, and then she and Mal wrapped their arms around each other in the tightest of hugs, swaying back and forth as they did so. They broke away only when a court attendant came to capture Maleficent under glass, making sure she couldn’t and wouldn’t scurry off anywhere.  
  
“Hey!  Careful.  That’s my mom.”  
  
Everyone laughed, herself included, and Jay came to gather Carlos, Mal, Evie, and Ben in his arms.  
  
“Guys,” he began.  "Five words—let’s get this party started.“

* * *

Fireworks.  Cheers and screams. Bright lights.  Music.  The happiest song Mal had ever heard.  Singing voices coming alive with the melody.  
  
Dancing with Evie.  
  
A night to remember.  
  
Auradon Prep came together in song around them, and Mal could feel everything inside her soaring.  Evie’s smile was dazzling as they danced, watching the newly crowned king be carried past.  Evie held out her hand, pulling Mal around to her other side when she took it, and then the two of them clapped to the beat of the song.  They bounded around each other, never taking their eyes off one another, and Mal took Evie’s hand once more to spin her around on their makeshift dancefloor.  Voices rose in song all around them.  
  
_"Oh, ay, oh, ay!”_  
  
_“Let’s set it off, oh yeah, start a chain reaction, never let it stop!  Let’s set it off, oh yeah, you can make it happen with everything you’ve got, let’s set it off!”_  
  
The perfect dance partner, another perfect spin.  Evie’s dress twirled magically like the blue waves of the ocean, mesmerizing Mal. They couldn’t keep their hands off each other, and why should they? With Evie’s arm around her waist they circled around and around, enjoying the beat.  
  
_“Oh, ay, oh, ay!”_  
  
_“Let’s set it off, oh yeah, start a chain reaction, never let it stop!  Let’s set it off, oh yeah, you can make it happen with everything you’ve got, let’s set it off!”  
_  
_“Get ready, set it off! We ‘bout to set it off!”  
  
“Get ready, set it off! We 'bout to set it off!”  
  
“Get ready, set it off! We 'bout to set it off!”  
  
“Get ready, set it off!”_  
  
Mal and Evie came in close, so close as the music stilled for the briefest of instances.  Evie’s hand cupped Mal’s cheek, and their eyes were deeply drawn to each other.  They were only inches away, and Mal’s gaze kept darting to Evie’s lips, right there before her.  So close.  
  
“M…” Evie didn’t even realize she was leaning in, her voice dancing close to Mal’s ear.  
  
_“3, 2, 1.”_  
  
Mal shyly turned away on the beat with a giggle, skipping off as the school launched into a dance break.  Evie, undeterred, did the same, bounding in the opposite direction with the giddiest of laughs to meet up with Mal at the top of the balcony.  She twined her fingers with Mal’s, and the two just danced in place.  
  
_“Let’s set it off, oh yeah,”_  Evie sang to her.  
  
_“Start a chain reaction, never let it stop,”_ Mal sang back.  
  
Clasping each other’s hands, Mal let Evie twirl her so that she was leaning back against her as the rest of Auradon Prep took over.  
  
_“Let’s set it off, oh yeah, you can make it happen with everything you’ve got, let’s set it off!”  
  
“Get ready, set it off!  We 'bout to set it off!”  
  
“Get ready, set it off!  We 'bout to set it off!”_  
  
The song ended, and was met with a magnificent fanfare of fireworks lighting up the sky.  Blue and yellow, the kingdom’s colors, exploding here and there with telltale screeches and bursts of light like flashes of fairy dust.  Mal and Evie looked up, watching the fireworks together, until Evie’s hands slipped around her waist and their attention was drawn down to each other once more as the same powerful song started back up with another chorus from Auradon Prep.  Evie rested her forehead against Mal’s, and Mal just had to close her eyes, close her eyes and take a minute to bask in the knowledge that  _this_  was  _real_.  Evie holding her was real.  Mal’s fingers curling around her arm was real.  The deep breaths Mal had to take because it felt like she was out of them were real.  When she’d gathered herself, made peace with the sheer amazement of the night she’d been gifted with, she opened her eyes and looked out over the balcony to see her friends continuing to dance wildly and happily.  Jay, Carlos, Jane, Audrey, Doug, Lonnie, Ben—happiness.  Triumph.  Pure and simple.  
  
Magic.  
  
“…Mal,” Evie said in her ear, nuzzling into her hair.  
  
Mal’s breath hitched.  
  
“…E.”  
  
“…I never thought that it was me,” Evie spoke softly, but they were so close that Mal could hear every syllable.  "I never imagined it was me who you—"  
  
“How could you not?” Mal looked into Evie’s eyes and fought to keep herself from getting lost there.  "You were everything that Ben was, and you were all of it  _without_ the influence of a love spell.“  
  
Evie laughed quietly, the sound was a different kind of song all on its own to Mal.  
  
"I’d just heard it all so many times before,” Evie began to explain. "The classic boy meets girl.  Love spell or no love spell, when I sent you off on that date with Ben, I thought—"  
  
This time, Mal didn’t shy away.  This time, she pressed a kiss to Evie’s lips, deep and longing, taking Evie’s breath away more than the magic of any poison apple ever could.  The expression on Evie’s face when it was over was almost unreadable, but in the incredible mixture of emotions, awe and wonder were definitely right there on top of the list.  
  
“What?” Mal laughed, closing her eyes and nuzzling Evie’s nose.  "You didn’t think this was the end of the story…did you?“


End file.
